On ignorance and forgetting | Jessie Munton

I'm interested in the beliefs that we're not forming, the evidence that we're not attending to or using, the belief states that perhaps we form. What I think of as negative epistemology is the project of coming up with resources that let us say a bit more about that.

About Jessie Munton "​​I'm an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. I'm also a fellow at St John's College, and Director of Studies for Philosophy there. My core areas of research are philosophy of mind, epistemology, and philosophy of psychology. I also enjoy thinking and writing about philosophy of psychiatry. I am a 2023 Philip Leverhulme Prize Winner. I've become increasingly interested in what I think of as negative epistemology: how do we evaluate ignorance, forgetting, or the failure to undertake inquiry or collect evidence? Some of my other research is in philosophy of perception."

Key Points • Negative epistemology shows that the beliefs we never form and the evidence we ignore can be as significant as the beliefs we hold. • Attention shapes knowledge, and sustained inattention to accessible evidence turns ignorance into an epistemic fault. • Ignorance is permissible only when the missing information is either irrelevant or out of reach; neglecting obvious, important questions makes it illegitimate. • Forgetting and structured ignorance actively manage cognitive load but can also reinforce social power by keeping certain knowledge unseen.